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Show EDITORIAL Ritter Farewell We w ere saddened to hear the news this week that one of Park City's most distinguished native sons. Chief Judge Willis Ritter. had died of a cardiac arrest. Although the judge generated more than his share of controversy in his lifetime, even his most bitter enemies have now been forced to admit that he was a brilliant man whose contribution to the history of the state will not soon be forgotten. Press accounts following his death frequently mentioned his Park City upbringing and the fact that he spent several years in his youth working here in the mines, an experience which strongly influenced his later reputation as a judge who constantly looked after the interests of the working man and the "underdog." We are sure Judge Ritter would want to be remembered for this. He was not a popular man among the powers that be in the state of Utah. but. more than any other figure in recent history, he represented the spirit and tradition of Park City in standing up for his beliefs, even if it meant fighting the established order. He was cantankerous, profane and seemed out of place in the staid corridors of Utah's government, but his decisions were filled with compassion and he provided a much-needed balance to the conservative majority. Judge Ritter will be missed not only in Park city, but throughout the state of Utah. We know his memory will live on. We can only hope that the spirit, tradition and strength he found in his home town will live on as well. |